Mina Mumtaz Anwar (born 20 September 1969) is a British actress. She is best known for her roles as Constable Maggie Habib in The Thin Blue Line and Gita Chandra in The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Early life Anwar was born to a family of Pakistani origin in Church, Lancashire on 20 September 1969. She was educated at Accrington Moorhead High School, and gained an A level in Theatre in Performance at the Accrington and Rossendale College in 1988 before training at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London.
Career Anwar played Police Constable Maggie Habib in the TV sitcom The Thin Blue Line, first shown on BBC 1 from 1995 to 1996.
Other roles include the recurring part of Sandra Malik in The Bill in 2003, Sister Zita Khan in Doctors and Nurses and Selena Sharp in Scoop. She also performed as the storyteller in Razzledazzle on the CBeebies channel.
Anwar appeared in the Channel 4 drama Shameless, and as a supporting character in children's sci-fi drama The Sarah Jane Adventures, in which she played Gita Chandra, the mother of character Rani Chandra, from its second to fifth series. She was also in the BBC drama show The Invisibles. Anwar appeared in Coronation Street as the ex-wife of Dev Alahan, the corner-shop owner, and in No Angels.
She starred in The Infidel as Muna, and portrayed Trudy Rehmann in the Nickelodeon series House of Anubis. She has appeared in a number of BBC TV dramas and sitcoms, such as The Wright Way, in which she plays the only female health-and-safety officer, Malika Maha, and in an episode of Upstart Crow where she portrayed one of the three witches from Macbeth. She appeared in the 2014 dramas Happy Valley and In the Club and the ghost tale Remember Me. In 2014 she portrayed Lauren in The Beneficiary, episode 5 of series 6 of the BBC's series of 45-minute stand-alone dramas Moving On.
In 2017, she originated the role of Ray in the new musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, and continued her role for the West End transfer.
Anwar appeared in Series 10 of Doctor Who in 2017.
In 2018, she played Miss Marigold Mould in Series 2 of The Worst Witch.
In 2026, she starred as Madame Thenardier in the musical Les Misérables.
Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNotes2000Maybe BabyYasmin2010The InfidelMuna2015Sleeping LionsMrs. GhoshShort film2018An Admin Worker at the End of the WorldBrenda Short film2020Farewell, Sarah JaneGita ChandraShort filmThe UnderstudyDonnaStuart and DumplingsKhadijaShort film
Television YearTitleRoleNotes199599-1Dr. ResdaleEpisode: "Stone"1995–1996The Thin Blue LineW.P.C. Maggie Habib14 episodes1997FlightShikhaTV film1999BarbaraMidwifeEpisode: "Scattering"The Flint Street NativityShamima / AngelTV film2000A Christmas Carol JulieTV film2001I Love the '80s HerselfTV series documentary; 5 episodesI Love the '90sHerselfTV series documentary; 2 episodesAlways and Everyone Meera KapoorEpisode: #3.132002TV to GoVarious RolesEpisode: #2.1CasualtyShelleyEpisode: "Dominoes"Birthday Girl Nina KapoorTV filmDoctorsMariaEpisode: "Labour Day"2003The BillDr. Sandra Malik4 episodes2004Doctors and NursesSister Zita Khan6 episodesBest FriendsMiss Mancer4 episodes2005RazzledazzlePresenter11 episodesShakespeaRe-Told FluteEpisode: " A Midsummer Night's Dream"2005–2006Coronation StreetRavinder Kalirai6 episodes2005, 2016Holby CitySaima 'Sam' Ahmed / Fay Michaels2 episodes2006The Gil Mayo MysteriesTina BeaverstockEpisode: "A Species of Revenge"No AngelsJeena2 episodes2008ShamelessAuntie ShazaEpisode: "Old Friends, New Enemies"Love SoupAntoniaEpisode: "Sophisticated Lady"The Invisibles Helen Huthwaite6 episodes2008–2011The Sarah Jane Adventures Gita Chandra18 episodes2009–2011ScoopSelena Sharp / Prosecutor9 episodes2010A Passionate WomanMrs PatelEpisode: #1.22011–2013House of AnubisTrudy Rehman106 episodes2013Anubis UnlockedHerselfEpisode: #2.7The Wright WayMalika Maha6 episodesThe SlammerLydiaEpisode: "Come Lie with Me"2014Happy ValleyMrs. Mukherjee3 episodesRocket's IslandKim Khalol5 episodesScott & BaileyEleanor Goodhead2 episodesMoving OnLaurenEpisode: "The Beneficiary"Remember MeRoshana Salim2 episodes2014–2016In the ClubAmita6 episodes2015Marley's GhostsTina Jarvis3 episodesCuffsLeila KamalEpisode: #1.62016The A WordDr. WaiteEpisode: "Diagnosis"Upstart CrowWeird SisterEpisode: "What Bloody Man Is That?"DamnedCatilinEpisode: #1.62016, 2019Pointless CelebritiesHerself2 episodes2017Doctor WhoGoodthingEpisode: "Smile"2018The Worst WitchMiss Mould10 episodes2020Terms & ConditionsCaptain Rules9 episodesWhen It RainsSpa OwnerEpisode: "Helpline"2021Moving OnMrs EllisEpisode: "Hungry to Learn"2023Midsomer MurdersEshani HughesEpisode: "Claws Out"2024Sister Boniface MysteriesSamira RowbothamEpisode: "Once Upon a Time"
Audio YearTitleRoleNotes2023Rani Takes On The WorldGita ChandraSpin-off of The Sarah Jane Adventures2026Doctors On HoldMalika Begum
References
External links
Mina Anwar interview for TV to Go